A Forum for Orthodox Jewish thought on Halacha, Hashkafa, and the social issues of our time.

Friday, November 09, 2012

A Kaliver Example for the Torah World

Most people who read
this blog know that I am not a big fan of Chasidus as a Hashkafa. As a
rationalist, I prefer the intellectual approach to Judaism over the emotional approach.
Chasidus’s focus on Kabbalah and the spiritual world has little appeal to a
rational mind like mine.

That said I
certainly do not have any issues with Chasidim who seem to gain a lot from their
movement and their Rebbe. Although in
some cases I have a problem with certain Chasidic movements and their Rebbes, it is for specific reasons based mostly
on their overly negative attitude towards the outside world or for example in
the case of Chabad with their Meshichism issues. But to be sure I do not have
any personal animus with Chasidus as a whole.

Which brings up what
to me is a significant event. One for which I applaud a Chasidic Rebbe.
Specifically the Kaliver Rebbe. I know nothing about Kaliver Chasidus or its Rebbe.
But when a Chasidic Rebbe goes to Yeshiva University and gives a Shiur there in
the year 2012, that’s news. And as one can see by the picture above (reproduced
from Hirshel Tzig’s blog) that is exactly what happened.

Of course this is
not the first time that a great rabbinic figure from the world of Charedim has
done this. Back in the pre Holocaust Bernard Revel era, many Gedolim from the
Yeshiva world in Europe gave Shiurim there. Dr. Revel always invited them to do so when
they visited these shores to raise funds for their Yeshivos. Rav Aharon
Kotler who was the Rosh HaYeshiva at Kletzk being one of those.

In fact one such Gadol,
R’ Shimon Shkop stayed on to become Rosh
HaYeshiva at YU for about a year. I will never forget the picture Rabbi
Nehemiah Katz had hanging on his office wall of his Chag Semicha from YU with
Rav Shkop in the foreground. Rabbi Katz was R’ Moshe Feinstein’s brother in law
(R’ Moshe’s wife was Rabbi Katz’s sister.) It was Rabbi Katz who was largely
responsible for bringing R’Moshe to America.

The only European
Gadol who refused to set foot into YU was Rav Elchonan Wasserman.

On the Chasidic side
of the aisle, I don’t believe any Rebbe of stature ever gave a Shiur in YU.
Certianly not the Satmar Rebbe, the Gerrer Rebbe, The Bobover Rebbe, the
Vizhnitzer Rebbe, or the Lubavitcher Rebbe (…to name a few of the more
prominent ones).

I may be wrong but I don’t
think any Charedi Gadol, Rosh HaYeshiva, or Chasidic Rebbe of any kind has set
foot in YU since Dr. Revel’s time. That fact is – in my view – one of the more divisive
ones in Klal Yisroel – at a time now when Achdus is needed more than ever.

Along comes the
Kaliver Rebbe and gives a Shiur to YU students. That tells me that to the Kalvire Rebbe Achdus
trumps ideology. Not that this Rebbe has given up on his ideology. I’m sure he
hasn’t. He is probably just as opposed to college as he ever was – assuming that
his views are the typical Chasidic ones that considers college Assur.

But even
though he probably does, he did not let that get in the way of going into YU
and giving a Shiur to the students. That my friends is Achdus. He is embracing
his fellow Jews. He realizes that there are other Hashkafos – some of which
he opposes. But he respects those who have these Hashkafos as B’nei Torah.

Unlike Rav Wasserman
he isn’t worried about sending the wrong message - that by going to YU and
giving a Shiur there he is somehow endorsing the Hashkafa of Torah U’Mada. All
that matters to him is that there are B’nei Torah that want to hear his Divrei
Torah.

My hat (Shtreimal?) is
off to the Kaliver Rebbe for doing this.

Now if we can get
one of the other Chasidic Rebbes to do this (for example - I hear the Satmar Rebbe
- R’ Aharon Teitelbaum is a huge Talmud Chacham) we may actually accomplish
something big.

But an even bigger
accomplishment would be if one of the mainline Roshei Yeshiva would do that. I’m
sure that Yeshiva University would be honored to host Rav Matisyahu Salomon, Rav
Shmuel Kamenetsky, or Rav Dovid Feinstein for example. I know that they do not
agree with the Torah U’Mada Hashkafa. But neither is Yeshiva University an
adherent of their Torah Only Hashkafa.

For that matter Lakewood,
Philly, and other Charedi Yeshivos would certainly not lose anything by
inviting YU’s Rav Hershel Shachter or Rav Mordechai Willig to give a Shiur in
those Yeshivos. I am certain they would both accept such an invitation.

Wouldn’t it be
wonderful if instead of Hashkafic politics we could all be interested teaching Torah
L’shma to anyone, anywhere without any Hashkafic pre-conditions? We don’t need
to agree with each other. We just need to respect each other. Why can’t we all
agree to disagree… and respect each other’s Torah perspectives?

Unfortunately to my
great dismay I don’t think this will ever happen. Too bad. I think the rest of
the Charedi world ought to all take a lesson from the Kaliver Rebbe. But that
is about as likely to happen as President Obama picking Newt Gingrich as his Secretary
of State.

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About Me

My outlook on Judaism is based mostly on the teachings of my primary Rebbe, Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik from whom I received my rabbinic ordination. It is also based on a search for spiritual truth. Among the various sources that put me on the right path, two great philosophic works stand out: “Halakhic Man” and “Lonely Man of Faith” authored by the pre-eminent Jewish philosopher and theologian, Rabbi, Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Of great significance is Rabbi, Dr. Norman Lamm's conceptualization and models of Torah U’Mada and Dr. Eliezer Berkovits who introduced me to the world of philosophic thought. Among my early influences were two pioneers of American Elementary Torah Chinuch, Rabbis Shmuel Kaufman and Yaakov Levi. The Yeshivos I attended were Yeshivas Telshe for early high school and more significantly, the Hebrew Theological College where for a period of ten years, my Rebbeim included such great Rabbinic figures as Rabbis Mordechai Rogov, Shmaryahu Meltzer, Yaakov Perlow, Herzl Kaplan, and Selig Starr. I also attended Roosevelt University where I received my Bachelors Degree - majoring in Psychology.